


R-E-S-P-E-C-T

by honeyandginger (l_ostsheep3)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_ostsheep3/pseuds/honeyandginger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark needs to work on his relationship skills</p>
            </blockquote>





	R-E-S-P-E-C-T

**Author's Note:**

> This work is not beta'd, all mistakes are my own.

Pepper walked into the bedroom that she shared with Bruce and Tony in the Avengers Tower and was surprised to see a leather duffle bag on the bed, open and half-full of clothes. Neither of her partners were visible, though the bag looked more like Bruce’s than anything Tony owned. So therefore she wasn’t that surprised when Bruce came out of the walk-in closet with his arms full of clothes.

  
“Oh, hi, Pep,” Bruce said, surprised when he saw her standing there. He moved past her and put the bundle of clothes into his bag.

  
“Oh, hi Pep?” is that all you have to say to me?”

  
“What do you want me to say?”

  
“Maybe explain why you’re packing? I didn’t see a conference or a long weekend on your agenda.”

  
Bruce sighed and sat down on the bed, “I can’t do this anymore.”

  
Pepper sat down next to him, suddenly concerned at the heart-rending despair in Bruce’s voice. “What, Sweetheart?”

  
“This.” Bruce looked around, taking in the furniture, the pictures of the three of them that had made their way to the dresser-tops over the past few months that they had been together.

  
“Could you be more specific?”

  
“Tony.”

  
Pepper tightened her hand on Bruce’s, “What about Tony? You guys have been doing great together?”

  
“We were.”

  
“Honey, you’re not making any sense.”

  
“I can’t…Pepper, I can’t do this. I love you, I love him, but it’s hurting too much to be here now.”

  
Pepper looked at Bruce, hating the tears she saw in his beautiful brown eyes. “So you’re mad at him and leaving me too?”

  
A very unbecoming snort escaped Bruce at that. “I wish I was mad at him. It would be a fuck of a lot easier than this.”

  
Pepper watched her older partner, worry in her blue eyes.

  
“He doesn’t act like he wants me anymore, Pep. Like maybe I was just a fling…or….I don’t even know.”

  
“That’s not true, Bruce, he loves you – more than words can say. I know it.”

  
Bruce shook his head, “he sure has a funny way of showing it.”

  
“What do you mean?”

  
“I mean, we’re in the same place often enough – and he’ll occasionally touch me as he walks by or lean his head on my shoulder. But then…he’ll get wrapped up in something else – even when I’ve told him that there’s something I would like to do with him – even when he says he’ll do it with me. When he says he will and then he doesn’t….” Bruce’s voice trailed off.

  
“I hate to say it, that’s Tony.”

  
“I keep trying to accept him as he is, but this is just…hurting. I love him, I want to be with him. But…I feel like he just doesn’t care. Like what I want doesn’t matter to him – maybe it never did. I don’t know.“

  
Pepper slipped her arm around Bruce’s shoulders and leaned in to touch a kiss to his cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. He does this. He…gets wrapped up in his own thing. I don’t think he means to forget us, but…he does, yeah. You do matter to him. You matter a whole lot. He’s just…bad about showing it.”

  
“He’s selfish.” Bruce said sadly.

  
“Sometimes.”

  
“I’m sorry, Pep, I can’t…I look around here and I see so many happy times. I see the three of us sitting in bed, reading, watching a movie, talking. Not to mention making love. It just hurts too much.”  
“I don’t want to lose you, Bruce.”

  
“I don’t have another answer Pepper.”

  
“Maybe I’m selfish…and I totally get why you’re upset, but would you consider a compromise?”

  
Bruce looked at her, “what?” he asked, his voice rough with unshed tears.

  
“Your original floor is still available. Would you consider moving back there? That way I can still see you.”

  
“I…” Bruce took her hand and brought it up to kiss her knuckles “I can’t, Pep. Not only will everyone know that there’s something wrong. I’d still be too close to him.”

  
Pepper sighed and reached over to brush her fingers along Bruce’s cheek. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  
“No, you can’t.” Bruce responded with a sad smile.

  
“How about an apartment in another part of the city? I have one here that I never completely gave up. I usually sub-let it but my most recent tenant moved out and I haven’t found a new one yet.”

  
“Tony would still know where I was.”

  
“He doesn’t know about this place.” She leaned against him. “Please, I don’t want to lose you. I get why you’re hurt, and I don’t blame you, but I don’t want to lose you because he’s hurting you.”

  
Bruce regarded her for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Okay…I’ll give it a try.”

  
“Thank you,” Pepper smiled and wrapped her arms around Bruce as she leaned in and kissed him, long and deep, grateful that he would consider her even through his own heartache.

 

 

Pepper led Bruce to a converted brownstone, the former single-family dwelling had been made into three walk-up apartments. Bruce peered around Pepper as she opened the door to the first floor apartment.

  
“Here we are, home sweet apartment,” Pepper said as she stepped into the living room.

  
“This is…nice,” Bruce commented as he looked around the room. The good-sized space was sparsely furnished, a couch and a couple of chairs, done in cream and brown, a decent sized flat-screen TV mounted on a stand across from the sofa.

  
“I know it’s not much…”

  
“Pep, I was thinking of heading back to Kolkata….no running water, only occasional electricity….this is heads and shoulders above that.”

  
Pepper laughed softly at that as she stepped into Bruce’s space and put her arms around his waist. “Thank you,” she said as she kissed him softly.

  
“Shouldn’t I be thanking you?”

  
“You know why I’m thanking you.”

  
“Yeah, I do,” Bruce said softly, kissing her again.

  
“Come here...” Pepper said as she led Bruce into the bedroom. Again, this room was done in natural tones, the queen-sized bed decorated with a woodsy green comforter.

  
“Very nice,” Bruce said as he sat down on the bed and drew Pepper close.

  
Pepper stood in the space between his spread thighs and kissed him softly. “I can’t stay too long today, I have meetings later.”

  
“I know. I’m just glad you were able to come at all. Thank you.”

  
“I love you, Bruce Banner. More than I can say.”

  
“Love you too, Pepper Potts,” Bruce kissed her again, sliding his hand into her hair to keep her there for a long minute. When the kiss parted, he met her gaze, his lips curving into a warm smile.

 

 

“Pepper! Bruce” Tony called as he got off the elevator for the penthouse they called home.

  
Tony didn’t get an answer, which wasn’t a total surprise as Pepper usually was off doing Stark Industries business and Bruce was often off doing charity work or working in his own lab during the day. Tony knew that Bruce wasn’t in the lab though – and there was no note. “J, where are the loves of my life?”

  
_“If you’re referring to Ms. Potts and Dr. Banner, as you often do, Ms. Potts is in the 15th floor conference room, attending a meeting. Dr. Banner is not in the building.”_

  
“Pull up Bruce’s schedule, would you, J?”

  
Jarvis dutifully displayed a hologram projection in front of Tony, showing that Bruce’s time was not blocked out.

  
“Hmm…wonder where he is,” Tony said, scratching his head as he made his way to the bedroom. He walked into the closet to get clothes for a shower and saw that Bruce’s drawers were open and empty.

  
“Jarvis…what…what’s going on here?” Tony asked, gaping at the place where his mates clothes were supposed to be.

  
_“I’m sorry, sir, my privacy protocols have been activated, you will have to ask Ms. Potts or Dr. Banner.”_

  
“I…I….” Tony sank to the floor, distraught, and put his head in his hands, tugging hard on his hair, subconsciously trying to replace the pain in his heart with the more physical pain.

 

 

Pepper dropped her briefcase on the couch as she moved through the penthouse, intending to have a shower – and maybe text Bruce – before she started cooking dinner. She walked into the closet to get clothes and saw Tony kneeling on the floor, curled in on himself. “Tony!”

  
Tony didn’t move, he couldn’t, the only indication he gave that he heard her was the slight lifting of his head. “Bruce.”

  
Pepper looked up and saw the empty drawers, taking in the sight from Tony’s perspective, ”he’s safe, Tony.”

  
Tony finally turned to look at her. “You know where he is?”

  
“Yes.”

  
“Where is he? Why isn’t he here?” Tony knew his voice sounded small – it did even to his ears, but he couldn’t think about it at the moment.

  
Pepper looked at him for a minute, uncertain if he could handle the truth. Finally she spoke, sitting down next to Tony and putting her arm around him to steady him a little. “He was hurting.”

  
“What? Why? We gave him everything.”

  
“You’ve given him everything – anything – money can buy,” Pepper started to explain softly…”but you’ve been bad about giving him your time. He said that several times you agreed to do something with him and then you forgot. Or got involved in something else.”

  
“I do that sometimes.”

  
“Yeah, you do…but now it’s hurting someone you love. You do still love him, don’t you?”

  
Tony closed his eyes and nodded slowly, “More than anything,” Tony said softly, not even tacking on the part he always added ‘except you.’

  
“Then you need to show him that.”

  
“I don’t know how.”

  
Pepper looked at him for a long moment, wondering if he really could be that unknowing, but after a long minute a sigh escaped, as she realized that he could be…that emotional relationships were one of his weakest points. “Stop forgetting him for one. I got used to it. But Bruce…he needs that reassurance. That connection. You don’t do it purposefully, but you do get wrapped up in your own stuff and tend to forget when you’ve told him that you’ll do something with him. We both know he has self-confidence issues – and trust issues, and he’s very sensitive.”

  
“Do you think…”Tony cleared his throat as the words came out raspy, trying again. “Do you think he’ll give me another chance?”

  
Pepper smiled softly, “I think if you love him, it’s worth a try.”

  
Tony nodded and wiped his hands over his eyes. “God, I feel like shit.”

  
“I know,” Pepper said, not without sympathy.

  
“Where is he?”

  
“Safe,” Pepper says softly. “Give him a few days…give yourself a few days.”

  
“I don’t want to.”

  
“That’s why you should.”

 

 

Time seemed to crawl for Tony over the next few days. He couldn’t work in the lab without thinking of Bruce, he couldn’t spend time in the penthouse without thinking of the other man, he couldn’t even spend time with Pepper without feeling like something – someone – was missing.

  
“Pep…please tell me where he is….” Tony begged on the evening of the third day, the cup of coffee in front of him on the counter untouched, the dark hair ruffled in a way that said that it was due to running fingers repeatedly through it, and not the artful disarray Tony usually sported.

  
“I’ll ask him if it’s okay.”

  
“You’re still talking to him? Seeing him?”

  
“You know I am.”

  
“I miss him so much, Pepper. Please let him know that.”

  
“I will,” Pepper said, walking around the counter and dropping a kiss on Tony’s temple. “I’ll be back later – don’t even think of following me,” she warned, knowing very well how her mate could be.  
“I won’t,” Tony promised.

 

 

Bruce stood at the front window of the brownstone, watching for Pepper. Chicken curry simmered on the stove, rice had just finished steaming and the table had been set with candles for a romantic dinner for the two of them. His smile, when he saw her walking toward the building, was a bit watery, but he managed a better one when he opened the door to the redhead.

  
“Hi, Sweetheart,” Pepper said, kissing the physicist on the cheek as she stepped past him into the apartment. “Something smells wonderful.”

  
“I hope it’s okay, it’s curry.”

  
“I love your curry, you know that.”

  
“I know,” Bruce says, offering her his arm and leading her to the table.

  
“This is nice,” Pepper said taking his arm and looking around the room, the soft lighting making everything seem very intimate and close.

  
“Thank you,” Bruce said, seating her and then going to the stove to get the food.

 

 

Bruce made it only a few minutes into the meal before he had to put his fork down and look around him again. “This is so not right.”

  
“What do you mean, Love?”

  
“This feels so wrong…there’s something – someone – missing.”

  
Pepper put down her fork and regarded her partner from across the table, “he misses you, you know.”

  
“You’ve said.”

  
“He loves you, so very much, Bruce.”

  
“I know…I don’t doubt that, I never did. I know he loves me, it’s just that his lack of respect hurts.”

  
“He knows that he’s been wrong. He knows that he hasn’t been attentive, hasn’t been there for you,” Pepper reached over to take Bruce’s hand. “He told me to tell you that he misses you.”

  
“I miss him. I’m sorry Pep, it’s not that I don’t love you, but I miss him.”

  
“I know. You both miss each other. I can tell…always.”

  
“I don’t know how to fix this – maybe I shouldn’t have left.”

  
“Maybe you had to,” Pepper countered. “Maybe it’s the only way to get him to know that he has that kind of power over you.”

  
“He’s not the only one,” Bruce said with a sad little smile.

  
“I don’t doubt that you both love me, but this kind of power…it really is between you two. You don’t mean to hurt each other, yet it happens.”

  
“We’re both broken.”

  
“Not together you aren’t.”

  
Bruce shook his head, “yeah, we kind of are.” Bruce sat back from the table and moved to the window, looking down the street. “I left, knowing that he has abandonment issues. What kind of person am I?”

  
“You’re hurting. You’re allowed to have your own emotions Bruce, to feel whatever it is you are feeling. To be angry at him, to want to yell and scream. Even to leave, if that’s what you need. You don’t have to concede to his every desire.”

  
“No. No, I know I don’t. But I can’t help but feel badly for invoking his own triggers, his own fears.” Bruce turned back to Pepper, “I should have at least talked to him before I left.”

  
“Probably,” Pepper said, nodding and giving a small shrug in concession.

  
“I…I think it’s time to go talk to him, at least.”

  
“I can help you clean up and we can go together.”

  
Bruce pondered that for a minute, “if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to go alone, at first.”

  
“Of course I don’t mind. I’ll clean up here – read a book or something. Call me if you need me.”

  
Bruce walked over to the strawberry blonde and leaned in to kiss her gently. “Thank you.”

  
“You’re welcome.” She nodded to the door, “go on with you, I’ll see you later.”

  
“Thanks,” Bruce said softly, shrugging into the jacket he had left hanging by the door before heading out into the night.

 

 

The ride in the elevator to the penthouse felt like the longest one of his life, to the doctor. He only hoped he would find Tony there, and not in the lab. He could have just asked Jarvis, but that felt like cheating. When the elevator deposited him in the living room of the penthouse, he was surprised to see Tony sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, his gaze locked on the gas fire, a drink all but forgotten in his hand. The younger man didn’t even look up as the elevator doors opened.

  
“Tony,” Bruce said, approaching a bit cautiously.

  
Tony looked up, surprised to see Bruce standing there, he raised his glass in a half-salute, then turned his gaze back to the fire. “Pepper’s not here.”

  
“I know, I came to see you, not her,” Bruce said, crossing the space and settling gracefully down next to his partner.

  
“Tony I – “

  
“Bruce – “

  
They each laughed a bit ruefully as they started speaking at the same time.

  
“You first, Tony.”

  
“I owe you an apology. I’m sorry, Bruce, I know I’ve been ignoring you lately. I don’t mean to…I just, get caught up in doing my own thing and forget whatever I said I’d do with you – or when I realize what I’ve done it’s late – and usually too late to do whatever it was anyway.” Tony looked over at his partner, “I’m really not great at relationships. I should have warned you. I don’t mean to ignore you, and I can promise I’ll try not to let it happen again – but it honestly probably will.”

  
Bruce smiles sadly at that, “I’m trying to be understanding, Tony. I love you. I love you so very much. I tried to not let it bother me, but…when you kept brushing me off – forgetting me – I figured it was better to put some space between us rather than continue to get upset and risk hurting you physically. I know you get wrapped up in things. I know that can happen to any of us. But when you know where I am, and that I’m likely waiting for you, and you don’t say anything…it hurts. I don’t feel like you respect my time, me. I can’t ask you to never have it happen again, I know it probably will, just like sometimes I’ll forget what I said I’d do, or get too busy, but I just wish you’d let me know, so that I know that I should find something else to do. Once or twice, I was okay with, but after a month…I’m starting to feel like you just don’t want to be with me anymore.”

  
“No, oh, Bruce, no – that’s not it at all.”

  
“Then what?”

  
“I just get busy…I don’t mean to blow you off. I’m so sorry. I…I’ll try to do better, I promise.”

  
“Just promise to show some respect if you say we’ll do something and you get tied up. Hell, even program Jarvis to let me know. Something.”

  
“I will, I’m so sorry Bruce.”

  
“I know.”

  
“I do love you.”

  
“I know, I love you too. I just…need to feel like you respect me too.”

  
“I’ll try, Bruce. I really will.”

  
The plea in Tony’s dark brown eyes showed Bruce just how desperate he was for another chance, so finally the doctor nodded, “okay.”

  
“So you’ll come home?”

  
“In a few days, maybe.”

  
“But why, I don’t understand!”

  
“I need to see that there is going to be some change, before I just come home and the same thing starts all over again.”

  
Tony nodded, “fair enough.”

  
Bruce smiled, softly. “Tony, why don’t you and I go out to dinner tomorrow night, just us.”

  
“You asking me on a date?”

  
“If you’ll accept.”

  
“Yeah, I will.”

  
“Good, I’ll pick you up at 6:30, sharp.”

  
“I’ll see you then,” Tony said, turning to fully face Bruce.

  
“Something on your mind?”

  
“Can…can I at least give you a kiss?”

  
“Yeah, I’d like…”Bruce didn’t even get the response out before he had a lapful of engineer, he automatically wrapped his arms around Tony as their lips met in a nearly desperate kiss. He could tell that the younger man was trying to show him just how much he was loved. Responding in kind to the kiss he slid his hand up into Tony’s hair and held on even as the kiss broke and Tony put his head on Bruce’s shoulder.

  
“I’ll try to do better, I promise, Bruce.”

  
“I know. And I promise that even if I’m not living here for a few days, I’m not going to just leave. I love you too much to do that to you.”

  
“Thank you,” Tony responded softly.

  
Bruce smiled and held the engineer for a few long minutes, resting his cheek against soft dark hair, trying to reassure both of them that they would make it through this together.

 

 

Bruce tried not to watch the clock as he waited for Tony the next evening. The penthouse was quiet, the clock said 6:48 pm. Bruce sighed as it the time changed to 6:49…then 7:00…7:25….7:40 “Crap. Jarvis, where’s Tony?”

  
“ _Sir is in the workshop, Doctor, shall I page him for you?”_

  
“No, don’t bother. When he comes up for air, tell him….”Bruce sighed heavily, “tell him that I’ll talk to him later.” With that Bruce left the penthouse and headed back to his borrowed apartment.

 

 

“J, what time is it?” Tony asked, looking up from the schematics he was studying.

  
_“It is now 10:32 pm.”_

  
“Shit! I told you to give me a heads up at 5:45 so I could get ready for my date!”

  
_“With all due respect, Sir, I tried. You muted me.”_

  
“Crap. Bruce is gonna hate me.”

  
_“I don’t think that’s possible, sir.” Jarvis replied, “he did ask me to let you know he’d talk to you later.”_

  
“Yeah, well…” Tony wiped his hand over his face and headed toward the penthouse, needing a drink in the worst way possible.

 

 

“Hey Tony,” Pepper said, looking up from the StarkPad she was reading. “How was your…” her voice trailed off as she noticed his decidedly non-date clothes. “You stood him up again,” she said, hurt evident in her voice.

  
“I didn’t mean to!”

 

"That doesn’t change the fact that you did.”

  
“I wonder if he’d like a late dinner.”

  
“You can try, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

  
Tony sighed and pulled out his phone, then put it back in his pocket. “I probably should apologize in person…but then again, I have no idea where he is.”

  
“I’m not telling you right now.”

  
“Do you want this to not work?”

  
“No, I want you to grow up, take some responsibility and respect him.”

  
“I’m such shit at this.”

  
“Yeah, you pretty much are, but you’re going to have to learn or you’re going to lose him.”

  
Tony groaned and headed for the bar, pouring himself a stiff shot of whiskey which he downed in one gulp before heading to the bathroom.

 

 

Pepper walked into the bedroom a half-hour later, smiling a bit sadly at the sight in front of her. Tony was laying on his side, a picture of Bruce in his hand – one of the few actual printed pictures in the apartment.

  
“What am I going to do, Pep?”

  
“Apologize, again. He’s here for meetings tomorrow, he should be in his office between 1 and 2:30.”

  
“Yeah, thanks.”

 

 

Bruce sat at his desk the next day, unconsciously mimicking Tony’s wistful look from the night before. His gaze was trained on a photo of Tony that usually sat on his desk, a reminder of what was waiting for him. Of course because he was no longer staying at the Tower, he didn’t have that to look forward to. A knock on the door startled him out of his revelry and he looked up quickly. “Come in.”

  
Tony walked into the office a bit cautiously, a huge bouquet of roses in one hand, a cup from a local coffeehouse in the other. “I know that this doesn’t make up for the shit I pulled yesterday…I just hoped maybe a peace offering would get me in the door.”

  
Bruce smiled despite himself, “come here.”

  
Tony crossed the room, gaze downcast in a way that it should never be on the billionaire. “I’m sorry.”

  
Bruce took the flowers and laid them aside, then took the cup, inhaling with a small sound of appreciation.

  
“It’s the chai tea I know you like.”

  
“See…you do remember things.” Bruce said softly, setting the cup aside as well.

  
“Yeah, well remembering your tea order, or what flowers you like…”

  
“Still shows that you love me.”

  
“I forgot our date…and I shut Jarvis up even when I told him to remind me in plenty of time to get ready. I don’t blame you if you hate me.”

  
“I don’t hate you, Tony. It would take a lot for me to actually hate you,“ Bruce said, taking Tony’s hand and leading him to the couch that sat against the side floor to ceiling window of his corner office. Once they were both seated, he turned to the other man. “I am disappointed in you. I won’t deny that. I was really looking forward to going out with you, spending time with you.”

 

“How can I make this up to you?”

  
“You can’t,” Bruce said, watching as Tony’s face fell.

  
“But I…”

  
“You can’t make up that time, Tony, there is no way that’s possible. We can try again though.”

  
“What if I keep doing it?”

  
“Then I keep asking, and trying not to let my own expectations get to high.”

  
“But that’s not fair to you.”

  
“Do you want to be in a relationship with me?”

  
“You know I do!” Tony said, his heart beating hard at the thought of losing his partner.

  
“And I want to be in one with you, so we have to keep trying. Even if it hurts,” Bruce took Tony’s hand. “I can ask you to be better at communicating all I want, but I may have to accept the fact that you aren’t, and aren’t likely to get better. And deal with it. As long as I know you ultimately do want to be with me…that helps.”

  
“That’s not fair to you though. It’s like you’re accepting that you’re the only one in the relationship that needs to change.”

  
“Love isn’t always about being fair. No, it’s not fair that I have to always be the one making the concession, but it’s that or lose you completely, and I’m not willing to do that.”

  
“I can still try to do better – to at least let you know where I’m at…to try to do what you want some of the time.”

  
“I’ll appreciate you trying,” Bruce said with a sad smile, “but with your track record, I can’t hold my breath, waiting.”

  
“I’m sorry, Bruce.”

  
“Me too, Tony.”

  
“I love you. I love you so much and I don’t want to lose you.”

  
“I know.”

  
“What do we do from here?”

  
“Keep trying, I guess. It’s really all we can do.”

  
Tony nodded sadly, not wanting to keep hurting Bruce, but knowing he likely would.

  
Bruce looked at Tony, still aching a little bit. “I just want respect.”

  
“I respect you more than anyone.”

  
“Professionally, maybe…but personally I don’t see it.”

  
“I know I get caught up in things.”

  
“We’ve had this conversation before, Tony. I know you get caught up in things, and you are bad at communicating what’s going on. But that’s something I’m going to have to accept if we’re to continue this. Just like you’re going to have to accept that I’m not going to be living here for a while.”

  
“Why? We’d have more time together if you were here.”

  
“If I’m here, you’re going to keep taking me for granted. You’ll come running to me when you make a new discovery, or when something exciting happens, and forget about me when I ask for time. Maybe if I’m not quite so accessible you’ll realize that you can’t do that to me.”

  
“You make me sound selfish.”

  
Bruce just looked at Tony at that comment, an eyebrow raised.

  
Tony sighed, “okay, so maybe I am.”

  
“Maybe?”

  
“Okay, okay, I’m a selfish bastard who doesn’t deserve you.”

  
“I wouldn’t go that far, but yeah, the way you’ve been acting is pretty selfish. If I ask and you don’t want to do something, say so. It’s okay to say no, it’s not okay to say you will, or imply you will and then just not show up.”

  
“Okay…I’ll try.”

  
“Good.”

  
“Do you want to get dinner tonight?”

  
“I can’t, I’m busy tonight, but thank you.”

  
“Y…you’re busy?”

  
Bruce smiled, “yes, I’m busy. If you must know, Natasha and Clint invited me to go with them to this little Indian place that they found.”

  
“Y….you’re stepping out on Pepper and I?”

  
“It’s dinner with friends, Tony, not a date.”

  
“Okay…” Tony sighed, “I guess I can’t tell you not to have friends.”

  
“No, you can’t.”

 

 

  
Several days later Bruce was once again waiting in the penthouse for his date for the evening. Hearing whistling from the direction of the bedroom he glanced at his wristwatch, smiling softly.  
“You ready?” Tony asked, making his appearance, dressed smartly in a button-down shirt and suit jacket, but lacking a tie and wearing sneakers.

  
“I am…and you’re not only on time, but early,” Bruce said with a smile as he enveloped Tony in a hug.

  
“I had Jarvis warn me – and told him if I shut him up he had permission to sound an alarm or set the ‘bots after me if I kept ignoring him.”

  
Bruce laughed, “I’m glad it worked,” he said, tilting his head down to kiss the engineer softly.

  
“Me too,” Tony said as the kiss broke. “I don’t expect you to just forgive me all at once, but hope that you’ll accept that I am trying.”

  
“That I can do,” Bruce said, kissing his partner once again. “I love you.”

  
“I love you too,” Tony responded, smiling softly at his lover. “We should get going, I know you made reservations…and you look too handsome to stay in,” Tony said, stepping back to take in Bruce’s button-down purple shirt, paired with a pair of dark dress slacks.

  
“Flatterer,” Bruce teased.

  
“Just sayin’ like it is,” Tony responded with a smile.

  
The pair wrapped their arms around each other as they headed for the elevator, feeling hopeful once again.

 

 

It took several weeks for Bruce to really, completely forgive the younger man. They had several dates, some of which Tony remembered, though he forgot often enough that Bruce decided not to move back right away. He knew he couldn’t rely on Tony to remember all the time, and he wasn’t always perfect at remembering himself. But they kept trying, and when one of them forgot, they apologized profusely, often with a gift of candy or chocolate, or in Tony’s case roses. They tried to talk it out, rather than letting the hurt and disappointment linger. Finally, Tony started remembering more dates than he forgot, and Bruce made a special date with Tony to let him know that he wanted to move back home, if he was still welcome.

  
Tony was thrilled at Bruce’s return and he and Pepper welcomed the physicist home with a candlelit dinner and careful, gentle love-making. Life wasn’t perfect, by any matter or means, but they accepted each other, and continued to love each other. After several months, even Pepper noticed that both Tony and Bruce were quicker to let her know if they were going to be late or if they had to cancel plans…which made her a much happier CEO and life partner for the two genius scientists.


End file.
